Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has noted that all fast bowlers in India barring veteran Umesh Yadav have been picked in the Duleep Trophy squads. Yadav has a fantastic record in the Indian conditions but he is currently out of favor from the Test team.
Yadav played 57 Test matches for India, in which he scalped 170 wickets at an average of 30.9. Meanwhile, Chopra observed that Arshdeep Singh has been picked to prepare him for the upcoming tour of Australia.
Mohammed Shami has not been picked because of his fitness issues after injury whereas Yuzvendra Chahal also misses the cut.
“All fast bowlers available in India have been picked. Of course, Mohammed Shami is not there in these teams. (Ravindra) Jadeja and Axar (Patel) are also playing. Umran Malik – I am very happy for him. Arshdeep (Singh) is playing – I feel they are thinking whether he can be prepared for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Since there is no idea about Mohammed Shami’s fitness and availability at the moment, all fast bowlers in India barring Umesh Yadav have been tried. I don’t see Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal also in this. So it seems like some things are developing in a certain way,” the former India opener added.
Meanwhile, BCCI also confirmed the appointment of former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel as the bowling coach. Chopra said he has heard good things about the former lanky pacer when he served as Lucknow Super Giants’ bowling coach.
“Morne Morkel is becoming this team’s bowling coach. He was with Gautam Gambhir in Lucknow (Super Giants) and he liked him. He would have told the BCCI that he wanted him. I have heard good things about him from the Lucknow camp. Personally, based on whatever I have interacted with him, he is a very kind-hearted, soft-spoken kind of person,” he said in the same video.
“Could be actually a good one. So I am looking forward to how Morne Morkel prepares the team as the Indian coach. I think the thoughts are about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then the matches in England next year, five Test matches each. So you have started preparing with that point of view,” Chopra observed.
Duleep trophy will begin on September 5.
